INNOVATION TO THE FOUR(some text hidden)

By Jonathan Crouch

Ten Second Review word count: 51

With the Polestar 4, the brand needed to do something different. They have. This electric Coupe-SUV is nothing quite like any of its talented premium badged mid-sized EV rivals and will be a desirable trinket for the right kind of customer. Whether it's the volume model Polestar needs is another question.

Background word count: 254

The Polestar 4. It's a different kind of Polestar. A different kind of EV. And, the brand says, a different kind of mid-sized SUV-Coupe. The model number doesn't designate a bigger car - the '4' fits into the range between the smaller Polestar 2 and larger Polestar 3 EVs - but it is, as that numeral suggests, the fourth design that this increasingly international manufacturer has bought us. The marque is grounded in Sweden and its cars are built in (and financed by) China. The models are partly engineered in the UK and are marketed by a brand listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange in New York. The company's future will partly depend on this so-called 're-invention of the Coupe-SUV' because this Polestar 4 is expected soon to take over from the Polestar 2 as the company's top seller and boost total brand global sales up towards 165,000 cars a year. Directly in its sights are sportier, more premium mid-sized EV models like the BMW i4 and the Porsche Macan Electric - maybe also the Audi Q6 e-tron; as well aspiring fashionable ones like the Tesla Model Y and the Lexus RZ. To stand out, this '4' will need to make headlines - and already has, launched as the first production car to be introduced without a rear window. But there's a lot more to this Polestar than that. You can find out more by downloading the Car & Driving app. And here, by reading our comprehensive Review, the Car & Driving Road Test.

Driving Experience word count: 465

This Polestar 4 might not be that much bigger than a Polestar 2 but it's very differently engineered. Under the skin lies the Geely 'SEA' (or 'Sustainable Experience Architecture') platform that we've seen used in an extraordinarily wide cross-section of cars - everything from a compact smart #1 to a large luxury Lotus Emeya. And the only battery available bolted to it is much larger than you'd get in a '2', 100kWh in size, 94kWh of which is actually usable. In short, it isn't only the looks of this car that make it a more ambitious thing than other mid-sized EV crossover models. The drivetrain choice on offer feels more familiar. Either the rear-driven Long range Single motor version we tried; or, if there's more in the budget, a punchy Long range Dual motor variant that feels quite different and is for those after some serious speed. As you'd expect, it's the rear-driven version that most customers choose, which offers 268bhp, 0-62mph in 7.1s and a range of 385 miles. It's all you really need, unless you're set on taking on faster rivals like the Tesla Model Y Performance or the Porsche Macan Electric 4S, in which case you'll need the Long range Dual motor variant's extra thrust. With that top model, adding an extra identical motor to the front axle boosts total output to 536bhp and nearly doubles pulling power from 343Nm to 686Nm, lowering the 62mph sprint time to just 3.8s, without too much cost to EV range - a still-respectable 367 miles. Maximum speed on all models is limited to a quite un-EV-like 124mph. As for drive impressions, well we'll start with this Polestar's party piece first; you might wonder how you're going to adjust to manoeuvring about a car without a rear window. It actually doesn't take long at all. Two screen-selectable 'One Pedal Drive' brake regen options are offered, 'low' and stronger 'standard', which are all you really need. There are three steering weight options too but Polestar doesn't think you need any fake drivetrain sound effects. On this rear-driven version, rather curiously, there are no drive modes - though you do get them on the Dual motor variant - 'Range' and 'Performance' settings, plus Launch Control too. As the 12 o'clock marker on the steering wheel suggests, this Sino-Swedish maker wants its products to feel 'sporty', which inevitably means a somewhat firm standard of ride. Adaptive suspension is restricted to the Dual motor model - and then enhanced with 'Polestar Engineered chassis tuning' if you pay even more on that top variant for the optional 'Performance Pack' (which also includes bigger Brembo brakes). Even without all this embellishment though, you could live with the standard passive set-up perfectly easily and it certainly promotes impressive body control through the bends.